As a result of pollution brought about by industrial development, the contamination of water sources has reached a very serious level. Even though tap water supplied to homes is usually sterilized and filtered at a main water supply area, the tap water from the faucet can still contain a significant amount of contaminants. Thus, it is oftentimes undesirable to use the tap water directly from the faucet. It can be appreciated, therefore, that a need exists for improving the quality and cleanliness of tap water.
Moreover, due to the water pollution found in many rivers, it can be difficult to obtain purified water out in the field. Thus, there also exists a need for obtaining purified water out in the field.
To address the foregoing needs, a filtering apparatus was developed to produce purified water at home or in the field. Such a typical filtering apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,253. The filtering apparatus disclosed therein includes a reservoir for storing untreated water and a container including a pump for pumping water from the bottom of the reservoir. An outlet is provided and is connected to the inlet of a filter device located within the container. A filter device having an integral outlet spout for discharging the filtered water over the upper edge of the container is also provided. The filter device has two different charcoal filters disposed therein.
Such an apparatus is disadvantageous in that power must always be applied to the pump in order to pump untreated water into the filter device. Moreover, the volume of the apparatus is restricted when the apparatus is used with the pump in the field. Further, the aforementioned apparatus is problematic in that it is difficult to filter out microscopic bacteria and virus when only charcoal is employed in the filter device.